Featuring Matthew Goode, Lucy Lawless, John Hannah, Joanne Froggatt & more
NATPE / Miami, FL: Ovation TV, America’s only arts network, has acquired the non-exclusive U.S. broadcast rights for eleven mystery titles from DCD Rights. As part of the network’s Mystery Mornings block, the deal includes two seasons of McCallum (9 x 90’), three seasons of Rebus (10 x 90’), drama series The Code (6 x 60’), drama series Missing (2 x 90’), and drama series The Strange Calls (6 x 30’), plus six films: The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1 x 90’), The Poison Tree (1 x 90’), Bloodlines (1 x 90’), A Model Daughter: The Story Of Caroline Byrne (1 x 90’), Safe House (1 x 90’), and Venus & Mars (1 x 90’). The announcement was made today by Scott Woodward, EVP Programming and Production, Ovation.
Set in the East End of London, STV produced show McCallum follows the life of Dr. Iain McCallum (John Hannah), a motorcycling forensic pathologist with a passion for truth and more women problems than he can handle. Surrounding him are the dedicated St Patrick’s team of Angela Moloney, Sir Paddy Penfold, Fuzzy and Bobby… close friends at the sharp end, making up a formidable body of opposition to those determined to flaunt the law.
Starring Ken Stott, Rebus follows Detective Inspector Rebus, a tough and street-savvy investigator with a great sense of humor and a taste for romance. Although battling with problems in his personal life, Rebus tackles crimes that lead to the revelations of his mysterious past, fighting weaknesses as well as dealing with the consequences of human frailty. From small-time criminals to haunted cases from the past, Rebus’s investigations lead him through the city’s ancient beauty and into its more sinister quarters.
Stretching from the spectacular red desert of Australia’s outback to the cool corridors of power in Canberra, The Code tells the story of two very different brothers who unearth information those at the highest levels of political power will kill to keep secret. Starring Lucy Lawless, Adam Garcia and Ashley Zukerman.
Based on the best-selling novel, Missing follows the life of Sibyl Foster (Joanne Frogatt). Having been homeless for several years, she has become extremely resourceful. Evidence from a short string of murders unmistakably links her as a prime suspect and as the police investigate the crime they discover that Sibyl is in fact the daughter of a prominent public figure and an inmate of a psychiatric hospital prior to breaking out and turning to the streets.
The Strange Calls follows Toby Banks (Toby Truslove), recently disgraced city cop who has been transferred to the Coolum Beach night duty desk. His office: a derelict caravan on the outskirts of town. His job: to answer the late night phone calls from locals. Known as the ‘strange calls’, these moments of midnight madness reveal the bizarre truth of the town – a place where people turn into chickens, mermen go to the school dance and a mysterious radio jingle can transform you into a lawn mowing zombie. With the help of Gregor, Coolum’s night security man, Banks wearily sets out to investigate the Strange Calls.
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab: Two gentlemen climb into a hansom cab late one murky night. One man climbs out. The second man is dead. The victim’s romantic rival, Brian Fitzgerald, is arrested for the murder but refuses to provide an alibi. His lawyer, Duncan Calton, and his wealthy fiancée, Madge Frettlby, are forced to search for the truth themselves in order to save his life. Their investigation not only uncovers a trail of secrets and scandal from opium dens and brothels to the cream of society, but their revelation threatens to tear Madge’s family apart.
The Poison Tree: Karen Clarke (MyAnna Buring, The Witcher) has spent twelve years waiting for her partner Rex (Matthew Goode) to be released from prison. Now that he is free, she is looking forward to settling down to normal family life in their remote seaside cottage with their 11 year old daughter Alice. Until Karen starts to receive silent phone calls and anonymous text messages that reveal someone, somewhere, knows the truth about what she and Rex did.
Bloodlines: In November 1999, Dr. Colin Bouwer, the Head of Psychiatry at Otago Hospital, put a murderous plan into action. Over three months he poisoned his wife Annette with prescription medication, causing her a slow and painful death. It was going to be the perfect crime, until Andrew Bowers, a young consultant physician, stumbled upon the murder in process. Directed by Peter Burger (Until Proven Innocent).
A Model Daughter: The Story Of Caroline Byrne: In the early hours of June 8th, 1995, model Caroline Byrne’s body was recovered from the rocky shore below the sheer cliffs of the notorious Gap, Sydney’s preferred suicide location. Did she jump or was she pushed? Caroline’s boyfriend Gordon Wood, chauffeur and personal assistant to investment guru and stockbroker Rene Rivkin, claims she took her own life because of depression. Caroline’s father Tony Byrne doesn’t buy suicide for a second.
Safe House: When single mother Carole Taylor becomes the material witness to the brutal murder of a heroin dealer, the police are forced to take drastic measures to make sure they get their man, and get their witness to take the stand. Forced into the New Zealand witness protection program and used as bait to catch the killer, Carole’s life becomes a nightmare, leaving her with no-one to turn to but herself.
Venus & Mars: A police officer bound, gagged, slashed and bleeding in the backyard of his burning house. A crazed Satanic Avenger on the loose, a city living in fear, who will be next? The case that sparked Operation Venus / Mars was one of the most shocking crimes in New Zealand’s contemporary history.
“We’re pleased to have these mystery titles bolster our ever-expanding Mystery Mornings slate,” said Woodward. “Our audiences have responded extremely well to the international flair and artistic storytelling of mystery titles and we are happy to deliver more of this content across all of Ovation’s platforms.”
Nicky Davies Williams, CEO DCD Rights adds, “These drama titles each have strong storylines and characters to engage and enthrall viewers throughout the world. We are delighted that Ovation has acquired them to air on their channel later this year.”
All titles set to air in 2020.
About OVATION America’s Only Arts Network
Art has the power to inspire us, elevate our thinking, and awaken our senses. As an independent television, production and digital media company, OVATION has an unparalleled commitment to the arts, culture and captivating entertainment. Showcasing a lineup of critically-acclaimed premium dramas, arts-related specials and documentaries, and iconic films, OVATION salutes innovative storytelling, lives for the art in entertainment, finds beauty in the everyday, and applauds art in unexpected places. OVATION is available to nearly 50M subscribers via cable, satellite and telco systems including Comcast Cable/Xfinity, DIRECTV/AT&T U-verse, SPECTRUM, Verizon FiOS, as well as on VOD. Through THE OVATION FOUNDATION, the company is committed to advocating for the arts, nationally and locally, and has provided more than $15M in contributions and in kind support to arts institutions and arts education. You can follow OVATION on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, OvationTV.com, and through our App, OVATION NOW.
About DCD
DCD Rights is one of the UK’s leading independent television programming distributors representing 3,200 hours of content across a wide range of genres, including drama, factual entertainment, lifestyle, music, documentary programming and formats. DCD Rights’ catalogue contains shows from top international producers/directors and independent producers and also features classic and cutting-edge concerts. An independent for more than 30 years, the company formerly named NBDtv became part of production and distribution group DCD Media plc in 2006. Find out more on www.dcdrights.com.